1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the biological control of postharvest diseases in fruit. More particularly, this invention relates to a method for biologically controlling postharvest rots on fruit using strains of Candida oleophila (C. oleophila).
2. Description of the Prior Art
Postharvest diseases of fruit cause 15 to 25% losses yearly in the fruit industry worldwide. Fungicides, the major means for combating these diseases, are often ineffective and pose hazards to humans and the environment. Therefore, a critical need exists for new methods to control postharvest diseases.
Recently, it has been shown that the postharvest treatment of fruit with antagonistic microorganisms is an effective approach to the control of postharvest rot. Remarkable success was shown in the control of brown rot in peaches caused by Monilinia fructicola with the bacterium Bacillus subtilis (Pusey et al., Plant Dis., 86: 753-756, 1986), and the yeast Pichia guilliermondii has been shown to control a variety of postharvest rots of fruits and vegetables (Droby et al., Postharvest News and Information, 2: 169-173, 1991). A review of this subject can be found in Annual Reviews (Wilson and Wisniewski, Annual Review of Plant Pathology, 27: 425-441, 1989).